The Cathedral City of Truro

Truro is Cornwall's county town and only city, its centre for administration, leisure and retail and it is the most southern city in mainland Great Britain. Truro grew as a centre of trade from its port and then as a stannary town for the tin mining industry. The city's cathedral was completed in 1910 and places of interest include the Royal Cornwall Museum, the Hall for Cornwall and Cornwall's Courts of Justice.

Truro is located in the centre of western Cornwall, about 9 miles from the south coast on the confluence of the rivers Kenwyn and Allen, which combine to become the Truro River, one of a series of creeks, rivers and drowned valleys leading into the River Fal and then to the large natural harbour of Carrick Roads. The river valleys form a bowl surrounding the city on the north, east and west and open to the Truro River in the south. It is said that the name Truro is derived from the Cornish tri-veru meaning "three rivers", however this has been debated and alternatively the name may derive from *tre-uro or similar, i.e. the settlement on the river.

Truro's most recognisable feature is its Gothic-revivalCathedral, designed by architect John Loughborough Pearson and rising 76 m (249 ft) above the city at its highest spire. It took 30 years to build, from 1880 to 1910, and was built on the site of the old St. Mary's Church, consecrated over 600 years earlier. Enthusiasts of Georgian architecture are well catered for in the city, with terraces and townhouses along Walsingham Place and Lemon Street.

The main attraction for local residents in the region is the wide variety of shops. Truro has various chain stores, speciality shops and markets, which reflect its historic tradition as a market town. The indoor Pannier Market is open year-round with many stalls and small businesses. The city is also popular for its eateries, including cafés and bistros. Additionally, it has emerged as a popular destination for nightlife with many bars, clubs and restaurants opening. Truro is also known for the Hall for Cornwall, a performing arts and entertainment venue as well as the annual City of Lights festival. Major employers in the city include the Royal Cornwall Hospital, Cornwall Council, and Truro College.

Truro has an excellent range of schooling which include both private and state schools as well as Truro College and Falmouth University for further education. There is a mainline railway station to London Padington, Penzance and a minor line to Falmouth. Truro and the surrounding area are served by extensive bus services offering routes in and out of the city in all directions. The bus station is on Green Street next to Lemon Quay. Bus companies operating routes in and around Truro are National Express, and First Devon & Cornwall use the bus station.

You can fly to Cornwall from airports around the UK, Ireland, Germany and Spain. Cornwall Airport Newquay currently has year round daily flights from London Gatwick and Manchester with additional seasonal routes (between March and October) from Aberdeen, Belfast, Birmingham, Doncaster-Sheffield, Edinburgh, London Stansted, and Newcastle; Dublin, Alicante and Frankfurt-Hahn; and Dusseldorf. A new year-round route from Leeds-Bradford is also available. The Airport also offers year-round onward connectivity to the Isles of Scilly with Skybus.

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